p2pnet - rss feed: MPAA accused of slander
p2pnet.net News:- A company raided by entertainment cartel pseudo-cops and accused of being an “illegal DVD/CD replicating plant” vehemently denies the charge.
“False allegations” have “slandered our name and reputation and damaged the business that my husband and I spent 14 years to build,” says Jennifer Yu, owner of New Century Media.
The MPAA (The Motion Picture Association of America) and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America ) are currently crowing about a raid on the company, “in coordination with the Southern California High Tech Task Force”.
Read on >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jennifer Yu, Owner of New Century Media Corporation, Responds to MPAA News Release on DVD Plant Raid LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 21, 2005
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) yesterday issued a news release that contained false and misleading information regarding a search that was conducted by the Southern California High Tech Task Force at the offices of New Century Media in the City of Industry, CA., according to Jennifer Yu, owner of New Century Media.
“We fully cooperated with this investigation because we are a legitimate business that is not involved in any illegal actions,” said Yu. “The MPAA release falsely claimed that the ‘High Tech Task Force stamped out an illegal DVD/CD replicating plant.’ This is categorically not true. Our business is to duplicate material for customers who own the copyright and material that is in the public domain. By these false allegations, the MPAA has slandered our name and reputation and damaged the business that my husband and I spent 14 years to build,” Yu stated.
Specific inaccuracies in the MPAA release cited by Yu included:
– New Century Media Corporation (www.newcenturymediausa.com) is NOT an illegal DVD/CD replicating plant as cited in the release headline. It has been in business since 1989 and reproduces thousands of titles per year. It operates 24/7 with a daily capacity of 80,000 DVDs. DVDs taken by the Task Force represent LESS than 1/10th of 1% (0.058%) of annual production.
– New Century Media Corporation was NOT closed down as stated in the MPAA release and again in a quote from Senior Vice President John Malcolm. The High Tech Task Force permitted production to start again immediately.
– For reasons completely unknown, the High Tech Task Force took approximately 2,440 sets of Genius Products, Inc.’s 6 DVD Romance collection. Genius is a public company that distributes entertainment products to national retailers. Check http://www.babygenius.com/shopping.aspx for more information.
– The total value of items removed was $10,540 in DVDs, plus 24 stampers valued at $3,600 each or $15,000 - MPAA’s claim of $30 million was inflated by 2,000%.
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UPDATE (12:28 pm Pacific) - As a Reader’s Write points out below, the LA Times now has the MPAA saying it’s sticking by its ridiculous $30-million figure, “but explained that it came up with the number by estimating the value of the DVDs seized during the raid as well as the value of DVDs that could be produced using the equipment”. Unbelievable.
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See:-
pseudo-cops - MPAA, RIAA team up, p2pnet, June 22, 2005
June 22nd, 2005 at 7:20 pm
If it’s a legit business, why was some of their equipment taken??? And if it is a legit business, why would you just let someone walk in a take your high-priced hardware?
June 22nd, 2005 at 7:34 pm
“Genius Products, Inc” appears to be a legit company, what’s the scoop ?
June 22nd, 2005 at 7:53 pm
uh yah, the police confiscate first and then ask questions later, that’s pretty much S.O.P. They will do this merely on suspicion.
it’s then a real bitch to get your belongings back even if you’re proven innocent.
June 22nd, 2005 at 8:00 pm
Looks like to me that the MPAA is using this as an excuse to destroy competing businesses! Those evil bastards think they have the right now to do whatever they want…
June 22nd, 2005 at 8:20 pm
“The MPAA in its new statement did not retract the $30-million figure but explained that it came up with the number by estimating the value of the DVDs seized during the raid as well as the value of DVDs that could be produced using the equipment.”
(from latimes.com)
June 22nd, 2005 at 9:03 pm
Ahhh, the math expert s the MPAA and RIAA own. I wonder if these are the same people who do their books.
June 22nd, 2005 at 10:22 pm
Wow, this is starting to look more and more like the drug war every story i read. The way the MPAA and RIAA got their figures, is the same way police do when they confiscate drugs. You always hear of million dollar cocaine busts, or 1 Billion in confiscated drugs. Well what they do is, they break the product down into its smallest sellable form, at the highest price someone would pay for it. An example: 1/4 lb of marijuana will usually cost somewhere around $350 (i’m not sure, but thats what it used to cost back in the day), if you sell it as ounces for $200, you get $800. right there, its an inflated cost. you sell those in 1/8ths of an ouce at $30 a peice, and the price becomes $960. Break that down even further, to 1 gram dime bags at $10 a peice, and the value goes to $1120. So while the cops confiscate $350 worth of pot, they jack the value up to $1120 because theres the possibility of 3 other people getting involved. The real value of it is still $350, but they estimate that it would change hands and get broken down, even though it probably wont. I imagine the MPAA/RIAA is probably using the same skewed scheme, just to make themselves sound more impressive. Just remember this the next time you hear about that $5 million dollar coke bust on the news, or read about it in your paper. The guys in question probably only spent about $50,000 for that stash. Still impressive, but not THAT impressive.
June 22nd, 2005 at 10:23 pm
by the way, my little formula may not be exact. So you stoners out there don’t rip apart the formula just because i didn’t get the dollar or weights right. Look at the meaning behind it
June 22nd, 2005 at 11:59 pm
They confiscated no hardware…in fact they couldn’t find anything that would suggest the plant was making illegal copies. The “High Tech Task Force” took approximately 2,440 sets of Genius Products, Inc.’s 6 DVD Romance collection…and each of their respective stampers (total value of around 15k)…only because no one at Genius Product’s could be reached at the time to confirm their legitamacy.
June 23rd, 2005 at 2:12 am
or are in charge of paying royalties….
June 23rd, 2005 at 1:49 pm
Great post… I would love to get a gram of hydro for $10.00 . I pay $15.00 for a gram sometimes and other times I pay $20. My ounces of schwag cost me $40 lowest and $55 highest.
June 23rd, 2005 at 1:50 pm
I hope they sue the fu*k out of the mpaa and whoever else was involved. Hey maybe they can wind up owning the mpaa.
June 24th, 2005 at 12:12 am
No hardware was taken from the company. Only a few stampers and DVD discs were taken. The MPAA simply inflated the seized materials by 2,000%. If this company were doign piracy business, they would have been shut down by now.
June 24th, 2005 at 1:47 pm